Charlie, You Can't Tame a Dragon
by Darkmoonphase
Summary: (Story about Charlie, with appearances from his family, Hagrid, and Tonks) Charlie just wants to be happy, and it just so happens that dragons make him the happiest. Is it honestly so bad?
1. Chapter 1

Charlie Weasley is different from his siblings. And, he finds, that is quite the feat because _all_ his siblings are different from each other. He's not as tall or accomplished as his older brother, Bill, who was a prefect and then Head Boy in his final year at Hogwarts. (Although, his father would fervently argue that being Quidditch Captain for Gryffindor was far more important, and therefore Charlie had exceeded his brother in that aspect.) Bill had also snagged a really good job with Gringotts upon graduation, which made Charlie's insides squirm a bit at the idea that he was going to have to live up to that expectation. He is not as concerned about rules as Percy, who has been showing great enthusiasm and doing really well. So far, his arrogant attitude toward keeping to the rules is serving him well. Charlie's not as well-humoured as his younger twin brothers, Fred and George, whom he has a sneaking suspicion will do well, despite it only being their second year. And, despite the fact that they've already spent more time in Filch's office than Charlie or Bill ever had in their entire seven years at Hogwarts combined, he does know they're very clever. He's not sure how Ron, his youngest brother, or Ginny, his only sister, will fare, and he almost feels sorry for them - all their older brothers are slowly making names for themselves and setting standards that they'll both feel pressured to follow.

His differences lie in the dangerous. His love for all magical creatures has always been obvious as he didn't have the sense to hide it when he was younger. Upon entering the halls of Hogwarts, however, he did tone down his enthusiasm, lest he find himself the unwitting scapegoat for any creature-related injuries. His two heroes had both been expelled because of their love for magical creatures, after all. Of course, if anyone was paying any particular attention, they would see that, though he excelled in many subjects, he was top of the class in Care of Magical Creatures. They would see that he spent just a little too much of his free time down with Hagrid, wandering the perimeter of the Forbidden Forest and helping him care for creatures that other students smartly shied away from. If they looked even closer still, they may wonder at the books he'd saved up for and hidden away from prying eyes to read in his down time.

But after his first Care of Magical Creatures class in his third year, he'd sworn that he'd never say a word about how happy that class made him. He'd sworn that he'd never so much as breathe the thought that he wanted to be a part of that when he graduated from Hogwarts. And he'd kept his promise. He'd kept visits to Hagrid just short enough to never draw attention. He made sure his grades in _every_ subject were perfect, so he would never truly have to answer "What do you want to be when you grow up" based on them. All his O.W.L.S were top notch, and nothing pointed to a certain career choice. When it came times to pick extra classes to help him toward a career, he picked everything he thought might help him toward his heart's goal, and just enough of rubbish classes that no one could really say what they thought of him.

There is, of course, the downside that because he has refused to talk to anyone about how much he enjoys working with magical creatures of varying degrees of dangerous, he's not exactly sure what kind of career choices there are concerning his passion. Research has gotten him only so far, and he's not satisfied with the kind of answers he's found. They all feel like they're _safe_. Even the idea of working in the Ministry, in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, sounded mundane and irritating. He'd probably never get to be in the field, and, if he was, it was to _control_ magical creatures - which sounded pitiful and makes him a little angry to think about. He wanted to _help_ magical creatures, not squash them into extinction.

He sighs, fogging up the window briefly, until he turned away from it. He's moody as it is. The Gryffindor Quidditch team has been struggling, even with himself and their rather impressive new Keeper, Oliver Wood. His team had done well in the past, and Gryffindor even took the Quidditch Cup in his second year. His Quidditch team almost won the following year, but lost the Cup in the last game against Ravenclaw. To top it all, due to an unfortunate number of points being taken from the overall House, they didn't win the House Cup that year, either. A few of his teammates graduated and they lost last year. He'd had high hopes after both Fred and George were named the Gryffindor Quidditch team Beaters - growing up, playing Quidditch in the backyard with their brothers, they had been pretty good. But the team felt disjointed and weren't working well together. They had lost their second game this year and he's starting to fear that not only are they going to lose the Quidditch Cup, but the House Cup, too. And there's no convincing Fred and George to quit their shenanigans to gain any more ground back.

He glances across the room at the twins, who seem rather disheartened after tonight's game and are headed to bed. Scrunching his nose, he decides to head up to his dormitory for the remainder of the night as well. After changing, he lays on his stomach on his bed and pulls out a book, propping it against the pillows. He grabs his wand and mutters, " _Lumos_." It's just after dark and he hasn't bothered turning on any lights. Most of his bunkmates will be up later working on homework, which leaves him plenty of time to read.

* * *

"So," Hagrid mutters one evening when Charlie goes down to visit him, "have ya put much thought into what yer goin' ter be doin' after school?"

Charlie watches him hover over a large crate of creatures. The creatures have yet to be named, as Hagrid has only just breeded them a few months ago. Charlie's rather impressed by the idea that the gamekeeper has managed to cross-breed right under the Ministry's noses, but isn't stupid enough to go talking about it either - there are a few students smarmy enough to go talking to their mummies and daddies who "just so happen" to work for the Ministry. Luckily, Hagrid has seemed to be smart enough not to keep his new creature in the open as well. The redhead shifts on his feet and lets out a soft sigh. "Yes…" he admits quietly and Hagrid looks back at him.

"Well, don't go soundin' all upset about it now," he says anxiously. "Ya still got another whole term to mull over it." He closes the crate and turns to Charlie, who simply stares up at him in mild distress. "Come on, now. Let's go have a cup o' tea and talk."

Reluctantly, Charlie follows Hagrid into his hut and settles into one of the giant chairs by the table. Fang bounds over to him from a corner of the room, happily trying to lick at his face. "Hagrid, there doesn't seem to be a career out there for me," Charlie tells him, scratching the back of Fang's ear to settle him. "Nothing sounds like the right fit. I'm going to end up in Diagon Alley, waiting tables for the Leaky Cauldron or something… Just a job, not a career…"

Hagrid pours them both tea and sits down opposite him. There's a brief silence, in which Hagrid seems to be choosing the words for his answer carefully. "Charlie… Sometimes ya gotta try summat ya don't think'll work for ya first. Many o' the greatest witches an' wizards out there didn't start where they ended up." He takes in Charlie's blank stare and tries again. "Take Dumbledore, fer example. He didn't start as a headmaster. He didn't start in Wizengamot. He started as a teacher."

Charlie frowns and swirls his tea in his cup. "So, basically, suck it up and try a job that may or may not lead to other possibilities?" He took a sip. "Sounds lovely."

"Yer brother had no intention o' working fer a bank, ya know that?" Hagrid tells him with a grin. "He had no patience fer goblins. An' now look; workin' fer Gringotts, side by side with goblins." He chuckled, as though he really did find this funny. "Point is, yer not to worry about it. Everyone makes a big deal out o' this, and, unless yer not tryin', everyone ends up fine after school anyway."

"Bill still isn't a big fan of goblins…" Charlie smiles, slightly cheered by this notion. His brother has even been talking of leaving Britain to do International work for Gringotts, and Charlie wonders if he'll have to work with goblins any less if he does. "Thanks, Hagrid."

Hagrid beams and then appears to remember something. "One more thing..." He stands and goes to his fireplace, where a small crate resides. Picking it up, he sets it on the table, close to Charlie. "I got ya summat fer graduating."

"But I haven't yet!" Charlie protests as Hagrid sets a wrapped gift on top of the crate. "And this is two things..."

Hagrid grins behind his great bushy beard. "I know. But I won't get to see ya much after this with all yer testing and such. Listen, wait ter open the package until yer at home. Trust me." Curious, Charlie lifts the package - which must be a book, judging by how heavy it is - and places it into his bag. Then he turns his attention to the crate. Carefully, he pulls back the lid and stares into an empty box. He wrinkles his nose, confused, until a little lizard springs out and latches onto his nose. He crosses his eyes to see the silvery-green of his scales and comprehension dawns on his face as Hagrid explains, "It's a moke. Little guy can shrink at will."

"Thank-you so much, Hagrid." Charlie gently strokes the back of the moke, smiling when it trills softly and grabs onto his finger instead. He lets it settle on his palm as it stares around itself warily. "Can I name it?"

Hagrid scratches at his beard thoughtfully and replies, "Unless I'm mistaken, it's a boy. An' I haven't named him yet. The honor's all yers." He gives him a wide smile.

Charlie watches the moke scamper across his hand and onto his wrist, where it shrinks down and settles against his pulse. "Winks," he says decidedly and the little creature trills happily. While the moke is small and rather not dangerous at all, he is thrilled that he's been entrusted with its care.

He marches up toward the castle a little while later with Winks in his pocket and the crate in his arms and in much higher spirits than before. He's decided to focus on the last Quidditch match of the season, and see if he can't breathe some life into his team. If they could just win this game, then he would graduate a happy man.

* * *

His year could have ended on a worse note, that is true. But it didn't exactly end on a fantastic note, either. They won the last Quidditch match, which felt fantastic. But Gryffindor was so far behind in points, there was no recovery. Slytherin wiped the board, followed by Ravenclaw, and then Hufflepuff. Charlie had had an explosive row about it with Fred and George days before the final feast and they still aren't on speaking terms. Charlie has been moments away from a nervous breakdown for weeks. He's not sure that leaving school will help any because he still has to wait for the results of his N.E.W.T.s and, of course, find work.

The feast is, at that point, not as much fun this time around and he's having trouble swallowing his food. He doesn't even hear Dumbledore's final speech, which he regrets because he could have used a few good words of wisdom. He's used to feeling lighthearted at the end of term, so this new feeling of oppressive stress is very unwelcome as it builds in him.

He doesn't sleep that night, and stares forlornly out the window of the train as he heads home.

About two thirds of the trip passes before Fred and George find him to apologize. He would have been more apt to accept it if he didn't see Percy lurking in the hall. "We didn't mean to cost you the House Cup," George says, and sounds mildly convincing.

"Yeah, with it being your last year and all," Fred adds, considerably less remorseful.

"Bug off," Charlie answers, hunkering deeper into his seat by the window.

The twins look unreasonably offended as they turn back into the hall. Charlie hears Fred hiss at Percy as he walks past, "I told you he's in too much of a mood!" Percy frowns in at him, but wisely doesn't pursue the issue. He checks on Winks, who is happily curled up in the pocket of his shirt, and then settles back for the rest of the ride.

When they step off the train at Kings Cross, their dad and Bill are waiting for them. Bill claps Charlie on the shoulder, congratulating him on graduating. "It'll be nice now, not having to worry about classes anymore," Bill reassures him with a grin. Meanwhile, Charlie can hear Percy loudly telling their father about the year and how much of a sour note it ended on. Fred and George are uncharacteristically quiet as they tag along.

The ride home, however, is a bit more chaotic than the station - the twins are now protesting and correcting Percy's story as he continues to attempt to tell it. Bill looks serenely amused by all the noise. "It's certainly been quiet without Fred and George around," he tells Charlie in a conspiratorial way. Back at the Burrow, the noise amps up with everyone home again and Charlie feels more comfortable. Their mum has strung a banner to congratulate Charlie on graduating and they all indulge in a very loud family meal outside. Fred and George take up dramatically telling Ron and Ginny about the horrific Quidditch game defeat against Ravenclaw and somehow make it sound as though Charlie had come close to death at one point (which is far from true). Overall, Charlie feels his mood improve and let's his worries sink with the setting sun.

* * *

Charlie does not immediately open the package Hagrid had given him. In his first week home, he's too busy with his family and Winks to even remember it. Introducing Winks to his mother a few days after being home is not as bad as he had first expected it to be. She seems to be under the impression that as it is rather harmless, it's nothing to worry about. But Winks has given Charlie an idea, and it's one that has been ghosting around his thoughts since Hagrid had first given him the little moke. In fact, it's the reason he remembers the gift from Hagrid at all.

At one in the morning a week after being home, Charlie finds himself sitting in his bed, letting Winks scamper across his shoulders and arms as he thinks. There has always been one magical creature in particular that he has always found fascinating, though he's never dared mention it to anyone other than Hagrid - and even he only got a small idea of Charlie's enthusiasm. Thinking of Hagrid reminds him that Winks isn't the only present he had received. He flings himself off his bed and dives for his bag, Winks squawking in his ear. He pulls the package out of his bag and climbs back onto his bed. Listening for Percy's soft snoring, grabs his wand and mutters, " _Lumos_ " before quietly pulling the paper off. Just as he suspected, it is a book. But a book that has his heart skipping a beat or two.

A green leather bound book with a dragon printed in grey across its front greets him as the paper falls away. He runs his fingers across it and then turns it so he can read its title on the spine. " _From Egg to Inferno: A Dragon-Keeper's Guide"_ is emblazoned in deep grey. Winks climbs down his arm and onto the back of his hand, craning his neck to sniff at the book. Barely noticing his moke, Charlie flips the book back over and opens it to begin eagerly reading. Nearly an hour passes before he decides to close the book for the night. Winks has draped himself across the back of his neck and is now dozing contentedly. He reluctantly closes the book, stuffing it under his mattress. Picking up Winks and setting him by his pillow, he lays down for a very restless night's sleep in which he dreams of dragons and eggs hidden deep in mountainous caves.

* * *

He finishes the book in a week and feels a deep, insatiable longing unravelling in his chest. His N.E.W.T. results show up almost two weeks after leaving Hogwarts and he feels hopeful as he reads them over. Because he feels as though there's some sort of countdown, he frantically applies to the Ministry, showing as much interest as he can in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Within only a few days, he gets a response that he's been hired on. Unsurprisingly, his parents are extremely proud of him because _of course_ one of their sons has to follow in Mr Weasley's footsteps and work at the Ministry.

Charlie does his best to be enthusiastic, but within the first two weeks, he knows he hates it. He wasn't wrong in thinking that he would be behind a desk for an infinite amount of time. His boss reassures him that every new-comer is desk-bound and that, in time, he might be doing field work. Charlie doesn't necessarily believe him. And so he quietly suffers through.

When his mother heads to Diagon Alley to pick up books for his siblings that are returning to Hogwarts, he tags along and gets lost in Obscurus Books. He buys two more books on dragons - " _Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit"_ and " _Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland"_ \- and then stops into Gambols and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop for a few trinkets for Fred and George as a peace offering. His mother gives him scandalized looks when she finds out that he had bought more joke things for the twins. "Don't go _encouraging_ them, Charlie," she scolds but he just smiles goodnaturedly.

"Fred, George!" he calls when they get home and the twins wander downstairs with wary expressions. They hadn't been talking to Charlie since their row, despite several attempts by their siblings and parents to get them to reconcile. Getting the cold shoulder from the twins isn't really as much fun as one would expect, and so he hopes that they'll forgive his bad temper. Making sure that their mother is out of earshot, he passes them the bag of tricks. "I'm sorry I was such a git… Mum reckons I shouldn't be giving these to you, but I'd rather have some sort of idea how you're spending your school year."

They pause, peering into the bag, and then identical mischievous grins spread across their faces as they look back up at him. "I suppose it must have been all that stress," Fred concedes with a hint of a laugh in his voice.

"You never have handled it well," George adds with a curt nod. "Apology accepted. We'll make good use of all these."

"Promise," Fred says, resting one hand over his heart solemnly.

Charlie rolls his eyes with a smile. "Go hide them before Mum can raid the bag." With no further encouragement needed, the twins race back up the stairs to the room they share with Ron.

Taking his own bag upstairs to his room, Charlie hides the books under his bed and then goes to help his mother sort through all the books and robes.

* * *

Days pass into weeks and Charlie is slowly feeling like he's going mad working at the Ministry. The books he's bought only feed the intense longing within him and makes him feel more restless. And then, something happens that solidifies his desire to leave the Ministry.

He's filed a number of different responses to a number of different cases, ranging anywhere from Memory Charm approvals to Relocation. The one that bothers him the most, however, comes in the form of a death sentence to a tebo - a warthog that can make itself invisible - that was illegally smuggled into the country. He doesn't sign off on it, and instead goes to his boss, Mr Buffow, with a troubled feeling in his chest. "Sir, why can't it just be relocated to Congo?" he asks, already figuring that it's a lost cause.

Mr Buffow looks up at him. He's a frazzled looking wizard with great bushy brows and a permanent frown-line creasing his forehead. "Well, the whole thing is illegal, for starters," he tells him, his tone suggesting that he's already told him this. "And it's attacked - unprovoked, might I add - no less than two Muggles and a witch."

Charlie frowns deeply. "But couldn't that be chalked up to it being out of its natural habitat?"

His boss studies him carefully, his great eyebrows bunching together, before answering, "Nonetheless, it has become a hazard and must be dealt with as such. You know, I think it would be good if you were a witness. Maybe it will help you understand how and why things work the way they do here."

Charlie heads home in a daze that night, refusing to speak to his parents and retiring early. Three days pass in a blur before he has to witness the sentence being carried out. When he gets home afterwards, he goes straight up to his room. Cupping Winks in the palms of his hands, he sits on his bed and pulls his knees up close as he hunches over and cries. Winks makes soft sounds of concern, pacing around his cupped hands and coming to a rest with his head against the pulse in Charlie's wrist. He can't do this, and now he truly knows it.

It's the week before the summer holidays end that Charlie makes his announcement, over a very loud dinner out in the garden. "I'm going to go travelling."

The entire table falls silent and eight pairs of eyes fall on him. "Travelling?" his father inquires, sounding very confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Charlie says very clearly, looking between his parents on either end of the table, "I'm going to quit my job at the Ministry and travel."

He had known there would be an uproar, but watching it feels different. Fred and George give each other wide eyed, awed looks before glancing at their parents. Percy puffs out his chest and mutters something that sounds vaguely like "irresponsible" and Bill scoffs at him. It's his mother's shrill voice that sends Winks falling from his shoulder and into his shirt pocket, where he shrinks down to the size of a sunflower seed. "Quit your job!? You will do no such thing, Charles Weasley!"

Charlie stares at her and, doing his best to keep his head, asks, "And why not?"

"Travelling!" Mrs Weasley carries on, almost as if she hasn't heard him. "You are _not_ going to leave a perfectly stable job to do some _travelling_! Where will you go? Why would you quit your job? Absolute nonsense!"

The twins look eagerly at Charlie for his response. "I'm not happy with my job!" he answers, somewhere very close to the yelling range. "I hate it! I want to go across Europe and find something worth my while!"

The brief pause is filled with an electricity that has everyone squirming in their seats. The twins turn curiously toward their mother for her reply. She is very red in the face, and it's very easy to imagine steam billowing from her ears. "Now look here," she begins in a dangerously low tone. "I will not allow you to destroy a perfectly fine career simply because you think you want to travel. You don't even have a plan-"

And here, Charlie finds he can no longer keep his own cool. "I do, too!" he bellows and the twins swivel. "I've saved all my money for this! Tonks has set me on a good path and I'm ready to do something different. I tried to work with the Ministry but I don't agree with how they handle things and I'm not happy working there! You've always taught us to pursue happiness over compromise of any kind and that's what I'm doing! I'm sick of being cooped up and being asked to do entirely unethical things! Let me go be happy!"

His mother stares hard at him and then turns to her husband, who looks quite alarmed by the idea that he's going to have to have some input here. "Well... He always has thrived out of doors, Molly..." he offers weakly.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" She throws her arms up and stands. It's always an impressive moment when Mrs Weasley lets her temper fill a room. "Losing your job is a price you're willing to pay so that you can have a little fun?"

Charlie also stands, throwing his hands down onto the table. He's probably one of the only ones in the family who has inherited his mother's temper and can match it just as impressively. "I'm not losing it, I'm handing it away! My job means less to me than how I see the rest of my life playing out! I refuse to be miserable in exchange for a handful of Galleons a month! Nothing you say will change my mind! I wasn't asking for permission to go! I was simply giving you the courtesy of telling you before I left!" He throws back his chair and storms from the kitchen and out into the backyard, slamming the door behind him. He's in a rage hot enough to match the heat of the sun. He paces around the yard until his anger weakens. Going back inside, he takes off his shoes before going up to his room. He still has no desire to sit, and so he stands by the window and stares outside. Winks slowly emerges from his shirt pocket, giving him a rather disapproving sound. Charlie absentmindedly strokes the back of the moke and mutters, "Sorry about that, Winks..."

The moke climbs up his arm and drapes his full sized body across his shoulders, telling him off quite clearly in his ear. Charlie smiles despite the rush of anger still hovering around the edge of each thought. After a while longer, he decides he ought to go talk to his mother properly and apologize. Heading downstairs, he passes Percy, who is toting a few books for school upstairs. Percy gives him a deep frown that Charlie ignores. He peers into the kitchen and then the living room, catching sight of her magically knitting by the unlit fire. Ron, Ginny, the twins, and Bill can be seen out the window playing a "friendly" game of Quidditch. His father is refereeing the match quite frantically.

Mrs Weasley looks up with watery eyes and Charlie feels a pang of guilt. "Mum... I... I didn't mean to make you cry..." he says as he sits by her feet. "But you must know how I feel."

She purses her lips as she flicks her wand at the knitting and watches it settle into a basket beside her. "I don't want you hurt."

Charlie is quiet a moment, choosing his words carefully. "A few weeks ago, I had to be a witness to a death of a tebo... And that hurt immensely..." He stares up at her. "I know there are challenges and risks, but I'm willing to take them because... Well, because that's what makes me happy."

She doesn't look at him for several moments. Laughter and shouting echo from outside. Finally, she faces him and says simply, "I know. I'm being entirely selfish, being so afraid that I could lose you... You are right, that I do want you to be happy..."

"I wish I enjoyed a desk job, for your sake," Charlie tells her with a smile that she returns weakly.

* * *

On his last day at work, Mr Buffow approaches him with a few pieces of parchment clasped in his hands. "I think you would have done well, with time," he says, pausing only long enough for Charlie to look up at him. "But, as you've made your stance perfectly clear, I applaud you for standing your ground. I sent a recommendation away in advance." He passes the parchments to Charlie, who takes them cautiously and looks them over. "The pictures enclosed should be sufficient enough to get you there, but there is an attached map just in case. I think you'll do better there…" He gives him an appraising look as Charlie snaps his head back up to stare at him, nods briefly, and leaves.

* * *

Charlie leaves a day before the end of the holidays so that he can say goodbye to everyone. He doesn't pack a trunk full of things, only a backpack that he slings over his shoulders. Wink hides in his front shirt pocket, shivering in trepidation. Charlie's sure that the moke took his pep talk the night before a tad too seriously. His mother doesn't stop crying the whole time. Bill gives him curious looks, as if expecting him to back out at any moment. Fred, George, and Ron all demand that he send them cool trinkets from his journey. Ginny constantly tears up, attempts to say something, and ends up saying nothing. Percy reminds him to check rules and regulations in each country so he doesn't get himself into any unnecessary trouble. His father remains quiet for most of the goodbye, but at some point gives up and starts giving him rubbish advice. Eventually, he manages to pry himself away from his family long enough to Apparate.

He's chosen four different places, based on books and Mr Buffow's recommendation, to Apparate to along his journey, and the first one takes him to Wales. He doesn't stay very long, and heads to France next. He dabbles a little longer, but after a month he decides to follow a rumor, and the hint his former boss had dropped, and heads to Romania. The picture he'd picked lands him further than he'd expected, and he finds himself in a mountainous area. Not willing to get himself spliced because he doesn't know Romania at all, he makes the choice to travel by foot to the nearest wizarding town. The picture in the book had made the suggestion that he was only a day or two away from the town. But even with his wand, using a simple direction charm, he finds himself a little lost. On his third day, puzzled as to why he hasn't managed to come across anything and irritated by a sudden downpour, he dives into a nearby cave to consider his options.

He tosses his backpack aside and flops unceremoniously onto the cave's floor. Winks climbs out of his bag, full sized, and gives him some very grumbly sounds of irritation. Charlie just watches as the rain slowly puddles outside of the cave and seeps through the rock toward him. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea," he mutters to himself, pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. He's running low on rations and there's no sign of any sort of town nearby.

After awhile, Winks slinks over to him and wraps himself around his neck. At first, Charlie thinks he's trying to comfort him. But a deep sound at the back of the cave has him on his feet and wand in hand. Unsure how wise it is to light his wand when an unknown creature is hidden in the shadows, he waits with his heart in his throat. The silence stretches, Charlie straining his eyes and ears for anything. After what feels like an hour but is probably only minutes, a growl reverberates through the cave. Throwing caution to the wind, Charlie lights his wand.

At first, the light does nothing but blind him and irritate the creature hidden in the shadows. But Charlie recovers quickly, and catches sight of a long scaly body slinking behind a boulder. Winks, if he stretches himself to his full length, is a little over a foot and a half. The creature trying to hide, is probably twice that. A long, green tail is flicking about, as though its owner hasn't quite figured out that it's not fully hidden. "A Common Green," he whispers faintly to himself. By the size of it, the dragon can be no older than a month.

Charlie feels as though he's reached an impossible impasse. On the one hand, the mother has to be nearby, probably hunting, and won't be happy to come home to find that her baby has unwelcome visitors. On the other, he's never heard of a dragon having less than three hatchlings at a time and the idea of leaving a baby alone to die is heartbreaking. Plus, there is the storm raging on outside. He feels rooted to the spot, unsure what to do. He's always thought of himself as brave and good with creatures - but what if his natural ability to befriend anything hit a limit with dragons? His life is at risk if he stays. Still, he hesitates. He could wait, and be ready to flee at even the mere hunt of a sign from the mother. He inches slowly toward his bag and hauls it over his shoulders.

The little dragon doesn't reappear for quite some time, and Charlie doesn't dare move too much as he stands alert by the cave entrance. He stands there long enough for his knees to hurt and his shoulders to begin to feel the weight of Winks, who has also refused to move. The storm seems to increase as time wears on, and Charlie begins to seriously question whether or not a mother dragon ever will return. After what feels like hours, the hatchling slinks from behind the boulder, throwing him distrusting glances over its shoulder as it moves further back. The cave is shallow enough for Charlie to see that there's not much more space for the dragon to move into. Aching, Charlie moves to sit when the dragon spins to glare at him, making growling noises in the back of its throat. "Hey, now," he says quietly but firmly. "I'm tired. I'm only going to sit. You can knock that off straight away."

Winks makes an approving sound as the dragon blinks slowly at him. Charlie lowers himself to the ground, every muscle protesting the movement. The dragon watches him carefully. It is probably one of the longest nights of his life, watching the hatchling and listening for the mother. He dozes several times, his head flopping back onto Winks, who twitches or smacks him with his tail to wake him up each time. The sun peers through the clouds weakly the following morning, chasing shadows away inside the cave. Charlie watches the dragon curiously as it hunkers down, hiding behind its wing. Another hour or two pass, and Charlie comes to a conclusion. There is no mother coming back, though he's not sure why, and he knows that he's got to do something. He gets to his feet as slowly as he dares, still absolutely stiff. The dragon doesn't move and he's sure it must be sleeping. In the new morning light, the dragon's scales shimmer and he can see that it's very small, even for a young dragon. He wonders just how long the creature has been in the cave all by itself. "I'll be back," he tells the dragon, backing out of the cave as quietly as possible. It doesn't give any acknowledgment that it heard him.

Outside of the cave, it's still drizzling as the storm clouds roll casually across the sky. Winks slinks into his backpack as he heads down the mountainside, slipping and sliding for about halfway down. He reappeared with a piece of parchment in his mouth, that he pushed into Charlie's face and caused the redhead to lose his footing and tumble down another small portion of the mountainside. "Winks! What are you doing!?" he huffs angrily, sitting up and grabbing the moke by his tail. He snatches the parchment from his mouth and, muttering under his breath, looks it over.

"Oh…" It's the map he'd been given. He glances back up the hillside and then at the map, deciding he better mark the cave so he can get back. He pulls his backpack off and fumbles for a quill and ink, marking the spot on the map as obviously as he can. Putting the quill and ink away, he yanks his backpack on again and picks up Winks, who is somewhere between fuming and smug. "Don't brag. You didn't give me the map three days ago, before we got lost." Winks huffs and climbs into his front shirt pocket as Charlie starts following the map.

* * *

It takes maybe an hour to reach town, which makes him rather peeved. But it quickly evaporates as he steps into town, marvelling at it. He's used to Hogsmeade, which is a fantastic town in and of itself. This, however, is completely different. It's extremely busy, with little street shops all over and witches and wizards Apparating all over. Flitterby moths, fairies and owls swooped and fluttered above the traffic below. Shop windows were laden with all sorts of local wizarding paraphernalia. Caravans with witches and wizards claiming to be Seers (from what Charlie can gather) are parked here and there along roads. For a moment, Charlie almost forgot why he's in town because there's so much to look at and distract him with. He moves along the streets, peering at street shops and listening to owners shout in Romanian to promote their items. It's when Winks pokes his head out of his pocket and swivels his head at the same time as Charlie that he remembers why he's in town. _Food_.

He walks over to a building that looks about as old as Romania itself and steps inside, his stomach growling loudly at the amazing smells. The space is warm and cozy, despite it being rather dark because of its small windows. It's about this time that he realizes he doesn't know a lick of Romanian, and he feels his face heat up as he attempts to order some sort of finger food that he can carry with him as he keeps looking through town. Eventually, he succeeds, pays, and quickly leaves with his food. His next stop is a little harder to find, but because he knows exactly what he's looking for, he doesn't get as distracted this time. He slips into a butcher's shop and is relieved to find that the owner speaks English. He buys two lambs, lightening his money-bag considerably. With them wrapped and slung over his shoulders, he starts back out of town and back up the mountain.

The Welsh Green is awake and alert, staring at him with deep brown eyes as he steps back into the cave, muddied and exhausted. Charlie drops his load and throws his backpack off. He doesn't say anything as he unwraps the first lamb and sits down behind it. The dragon stares at him, and then the meat. Charlie can see the indecision in the dragon's eyes as it weighs its hunger against its willingness to be in such a close proximity to a human. The minutes tick and Charlie is just considering moving the lamb closer when the dragon moves. It unravels itself from the back of the cave and slinks along the cavern walls toward the meat, pausing several times along the way. When they're maybe two feet apart, the dragon stops and, neck extended, narrows its eyes at Charlie. Smoke is coming in wisps from between its lips, as if threatening him. Charlie doesn't move, barely breathes. Seconds, minutes pass, and still, neither move. Then the dragon takes a few steps forward, clamps its jaws around the leg of the lamb, and drags it off to the back of the cave. Charlie doesn't dare move until it's done eating.

* * *

It's been a week, and Charlie has finally had some decent sleep. He's getting a little anxious about the situation he's found himself in. For starters, he can't afford any more meat after today. Another, he's sure it's starting to look a little odd - him toting two sheep up the mountainside every other day. On the plus side he's starting to bulk up even more, having to do all this work. He's stopped into an inn today and cleaned up because he's sick of all the grime. Running a hand through his hair as he walks through town, he feels shaky with anxiety, not really seeing anything besides his goal. The dragon, whom he's finally discovered is a female, has warmed up to him considerably and they don't lay on opposite sides of the cave anymore. He's still trying to come up with a name for her. Meanwhile, Winks is obviously furious with him and spends more time hiding, only coming out when food is involved, than doing anything else. He's tried telling the little moke that it's _not_ one or the other, but Winks isn't having it.

His lack of attention to where he's going causes him to practically run over another person walking toward him. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" he bursts out, helping to stabilize the young woman. She's petite with short dark hair that's pulled into a tight pony, a round face, wide forest green eyes and a buzz about her that suggests that she can hold her own, despite her size. "I was so distracted… No excuse, really…" It doesn't immediately occur to him that she may not speak English.

She frowns up at him, adjusting the bag over her shoulder. "You look familiar…" she mutters in a heavy Romanian accent, which is the only way he can tell that she's not talking to herself. She gives him a once over and raises an eyebrow when she catches sight of Winks scampering up Charlie's shoulder to squawk irritably in his ear.

Charlie glances at the moke, completely unimpressed. "Oh, so you get a little flattened and now you'll talk to me, will you? A week of silence and _now_ you have something to say? Come off it." And with that, he pulls Winks off his shoulder and unceremoniously shoves him back into his shirt pocket before turning back to the woman. "Sorry… About all that…" He sticks his hand out awkwardly and offers, "My name is Charlie Weasley."

She meets his eyes and a light bulb seems to go off above her head. "You're the one the British Ministry of Magic man said he was sending!" She snaps her fingers and, in a rush that catches Charlie off guard, she continues, "We have been waiting! Where have you been? Alexandru will be relieved to know that you did not splice yourself getting here!"

Charlie blinks at her, lowering his hand. "Sorry… I don't think I caught your name?"

The woman gives him a withering look. "Elena Vânător," she answers and sighs. "I've been looking for you."

"Me?" Charlie balks at her. "Why are you looking for me?"

"I told you - a man from the British Ministry of Magic sent a recommendation ahead of you," Elena says, calming down as she eyes his shirt pocket. "He said he was sending you to the sanctuary."

Charlie has his light bulb moment next. Not just rumors! "The Dragon Sanctuary? How far away is it from here?" He feels his excitement levels increase exponentially and then deflate almost just as fast as he remembers the dragon sitting in the cave not too far from them. "Actually… I dunno about that…"

Elena frowns up at him. "What do you mean, 'you don't know about that'? You're coming, aren't you?"

"Well, I mean, I do want to…" he starts slowly, rocking forward slightly with the desire to go to the butcher's shop and get back to his dragon. "But I found… I have a prior engagement…" Winks pokes his head out, and Charlie knows he's probably got the most smug expression on his little lizard face.

"A prior engagement?" Elena repeats skeptically, clutching her bag with one hand. "You want me to believe that?"

Charlie considers it for a moment before answering. "I'd like for you to pretend that you do. Look, I really do have to go…"

Elena snaps her fingers under his nose again, stopping him before he can take a full step forward. "Not before I can tell Alexandru when you'll be arriving." He glances at her hand quizzically, and then back at her. "The sanctuary is about six miles from here, due east."

Charlie considers this and how many leaps and bounds he's made with his dragon, and makes an educated guess. "Three more days?"

Despite her irritated facade, Elena seems to let some of her curiosity show. She hesitates, on the verge of asking something, before she firmly states, "Three days." With a hint of a smile, she adds, "Nice to finally meet you."

Charlie nods and they both start back off in their different directions. Something suddenly occurs to him and he catches Elena's arm, spinning them both into a half-turn. "Wait, what's the Romanian word for Welsh?"

Absolutely baffled, Elena replies, "Velșă."

Grinning, Charlie lets her go. "That's really pretty. Perfect. Thank you." He practically runs to the butcher shop after that.


	2. Chapter 2

It's not the entrance that Charlie had planned on, that's for sure. After four days, one longer than he thought it would take, he set off for the reserve. Because his dragon, that he has named Velșă, is too big to fit into his bag and hasn't come anywhere near close to being able to fly, he ends up carrying her. She's draped across his back, her tail wrapped around his waist and her head on his right shoulder. Meanwhile, determined not to be forgotten and to be properly introduced, Winks has hunkered down on his left shoulder. And, underneath the pair, he's still lugging his backpack around. It's a rather exhausting journey and takes longer than anticipated. But, in spite of feeling completely disheveled and it being sundown by the time he arrives, he makes quite the impression as he steps into the sanctuary.

He's met by Elena, who shrieks loudly, eyes wide and wand pointed at him. About half a dozen other witches and wizards all hurry over, wands all raised. Velșă bares her teeth and Charlie automatically reaches up to rest a hand on her snout, even as Elena cries, "You have a dragon on you!"

"Yes, well, I do pride myself on my observation skills, and I do realize that she is, in fact, a Common Welsh," Charlie answers as cheerfully as he can under the circumstances. "I appreciate the concern, but she's relatively harmless."

There's a very stunned silence before one of the wizards steps forward. He's tall and rather lanky, with pitch black hair and eyes so blue, they're almost opaque. His face is long and narrow, and his mouth is thin, giving him the impression of constantly pursing his lips. "You've... _tamed_ a dragon?"

Charlie frowns at the man. "No, you can't _tame a dragon_. She's just...imprinted, I guess." He shrugs, as if the fact that he has a small dragon draped over him is a normal and common thing. "I mean, the whole thing was more or less unintentional." The man stares at him for several moments, and Charlie notices smoke slowly wafting from between Velșă's lips. "Could you, perhaps, put your wands down? She's getting rather nervous..."

Everyone glances at the wizard who had stepped forward. He purses his lips and nods. All wands lower and Charlie feels like he can breathe a little easier as the smoke dissipates. "You must be... Charlie?" the man asks doubtfully and the redhead nods seriously. Hesitantly, the man steps forward to shake his hand, eyes on the dragon. "My name is Alexandru."

With a bit of difficulty, as Velșă is pulling away from Alexandru and she does weigh a bit more than he does, Charlie shakes his hand. "Charlie, as we have clearly sorted out," he replies, slightly strained. "Also, I know I told Elena that I would be here yesterday, but Velșă was being fussy and it took quite a bit of coaxing to get her to trust me enough to climb onto me."

Alexandru looks rather dumbfounded as he stares at him. "I assume you're talking about the dragon and not the moke..."

"Oh, no," Charlie beams, running a finger down Winks' head and spine. "I've had Winks for quite awhile. Don't mind him - he's rather sulky right now. Velșă is the dragon, yes."

Somebody mutters something along the lines of, "Not tame? He's nutters..."

Charlie frowns, feeling more self-conscious than before. Alexandru stares at him and the creatures he has hanging off of him, but can't seem to come up with anything to say. Charlie decides to try and fill the silence. "So, er, I was recommended here, and apparently am needed?"

"Needed?" Alexandru barks, something of a laugh escaping him. "Apparently more than I thought. You've accomplished something no witch or wizard in history has managed!"

"It's still a work in progress..." Charlie protests weakly. "It's only been a little over a week, after all."

A loud murmur goes through the small crowd. "A week..." Alexandru says faintly. "A _week_ and she's hanging off him like he's a mother dragon..." He glances around, as if hoping someone will wake him from a dream. "How did you do it?" he demands when no one saves him.

Charlie shifts his aching shoulders, reaching up to pry Winks off his shoulder in hopes of coaxing him into his shirt pocket. But it's no use; Winks is determined to stay visible and relevant. "Well, it's not particularly interesting... I lost my way and found the cave with her in it. Her mother never came back, so I started feeding her and talking to her, and she's taken a liking, I suppose..." He glances at her out of the corner of his eye. "There's still a long road..." The truth be told, as attached as he's become to Velșă, he doesn't want her to rely on him. He wants her to be able to fend for herself and possibly be able to fit in with other dragons of her breed. Her eye is on his face, watching him intently.

Seeming to finally take note of the strain Charlie is doing his best to not let anyone see, Alexandru inquires, "You've been in a cave for over a week? Let's get you a place to stay." He starts to walk off and then pauses. "Does Velșă need to stay with you?"

Charlie follows slowly after him. As if understanding the question perfectly, Velșă tightens her hold on him. "Yes," he gasps, tapping her tail frantically. "She's a bit young still..."

Alexandru gives him an odd look and beckons him forward. The sanctuary isn't what Charlie had imagined it to be. He hasn't seen a single dragon yet. As they walk, Alexandru explains more about the place and his role. "My family started this sanctuary... They were concerned about the large number of Romanian Longhorns that were being slaughtered and offered to start the breeding program to save them. It was small in the beginning, because there was so much fear of the creatures.

"Slowly, over many years, they began to take in more dragons to protect and conceal. The governments of the world began to get behind the idea that if we had specific places for dragons to go, we could protect the wizarding and Muggle worlds while preserving the lives of dragons." They're walking into what looks to be a small village. There's considerably less activity than the town nearby, but there are still many witches and wizards busying about and Apparating and Disapparating throughout. Most of the village is made up of homes, though there are a few supply shops, an inn, and a hospital-like building. "We've had to expand considerably and come up with ways to keep everyone safe. This is what most call base camp. When we're not busy on the field, we're here or in _Oraș Magie_ We own the entire mountain from here to Obârşia Lotrului." He gestures broadly to his left and Charlie gazes out at the mountains, dyed red, orange, yellow, and brown with autumn. "I'll take you through it tomorrow, but all you need to know tonight as that the sanctuary is this large so that all the dragons have their own space, and we can keep certain breeds away from each other. It is a little bit more work to keep it concealed from Muggles, but the height of the mountainside certainly helps."

Charlie knows the altitude must be a bit too ridiculous for most Muggles; only a few miles up he can see low clouds blanketing the mountaintops. "How many dragons do you have here?" he asks, tearing his eyes from the breathtaking scenery to Alexandru's back. "How many breeds?"

"Oh, hundreds of dragons, I suppose," Alexandru says with a shrug. "My little brother keeps track of registration so I'm not positive the number anymore. We have about eight breeds here." Charlie feels excitement bubble inside him. _This_ is home. "We do keep an eye out for any other breeds, though. We try to be as well-rounded as we can. Anyway, here we go." He's stopped in front of a brick house, a bit smaller than some of the other houses they've passed. It's set apart from the village slightly, as well. It's tall and narrow, and appears rather boring from the outside. " _Alohamora,_ " he mutters and there's an audible click before he pushes open the door. "I wasn't planning on this one, I swear. But, given the fact that you have a small dragon attached to you, it might be the safest option for now…" He glances at Charlie, only a faint trace of concern hidden in the lines on his forehead.

Charlie smiles anyway and nods. "Probably a good idea," he agrees lightly.

"I think your roommate is out right now," Alexandru says, peering inside. "Sent him on a trip up to the Hebridean Black section earlier to help with an injured male… Should be back soon. I'll leave him a tip off so he doesn't attack you."

With a grunt from Winks and a huff from Velșă, Charlie's hoping that his roommate gets the tip off before he gets home. "Do you think he'll mind the dragon?" he asks, honestly more concerned about Velșă than himself.

Alexandru smiles at him. "I'll leave it in the tip off. I don't think he will. In any case, get some rest and we'll get going tomorrow."

Charlie nods and heads inside, feeling a bit odd with the idea that he's walking into someone else's home. The door shuts behind him and he hesitates, before going to the kitchen. It reminds him that he'll have to talk to someone about how to feed Velșă. The kitchen is small, and a little unorganized. He likes it. He gets a glass of water, and lets Winks dip his face under the faucet. Smiling, he starts up the stairs when the door bangs open and he feels Velșă and Winks both jump. He turns around and sees a wizard maybe a couple years older than himself standing in the doorway. He has sandy brown hair, a disheveled look about him, and scars littering his arms and neck. His brown eyes are narrowed as he stares up at Charlie and the silence stretches between them. "Is that a Common Welsh Green?" the man finally asks, nodding at his left shoulder. He has an American accent.

"Her name is Velșă," Charlie answers uncertainly. Velșă tightens her tail around his waist and his breathing becomes a little shallower.

"And the moke?" He nods at his other shoulder.

"He's Winks." The tension is slowly leaving the air, though the two creatures wrapped around him haven't quite gotten that.

The man snorts. "Winks?" He gives him a lopsided smile. "Is he gonna appear in my sock drawer or the sugar?"

Charlie smiles despite himself. "No, he doesn't actually like sweets…"

"My name is Spencer," the man says, stepping in and closing the door behind him. "Can you imagine my surprise when I get back to camp and I'm told that I'll be rooming with a dragon? I thought for sure they were sending me on a graveyard shift to Hebridean Black section…" He shakes his head and then pushes a hand through his hair, making it stand on end oddly. "And then they tell me that it's attached to the human who just arrived. I had to see it."

Charlie is about to reply when Winks decides that he's tired of being ignored and slinks off his shoulder and onto the stairs. He makes his way to Spencer, where, after a _very_ brief investigation, he climbs up his back and perches on his shoulder. While Spencer seems surprised, Charlie is entirely unimpressed as he crosses his arms. "Don't mind him a moment; he's been sulky since I stumbled on Velșă and now he thinks he'll make me jealous. Anyway, I didn't mean to make a big fuss. It's just that she hasn't figured her wings out yet."

Doing his best to ignore Winks, Spencer asks, "How old do you think she is?"

"Only a month now, if that," Charlie answers with a bit of hesitation. "See, she's old enough to be mistrusting, but young enough to need help. It was a little too easy to coax her to me, if I'm honest. After finding out about how close the sanctuary is to where I found her, I've been wondering if maybe her mum was from here… Do you think…?"

Spencer walks over, but stops at the bottom of the stairs, fixing a calculating gaze on Velșă. "It's possible… We did have a bit of an incident a few months back but we rounded all the loose dragons. And Adrian didn't report that any of the escaped dragons had eggs. I mean, I've never heard of a brooding mother to leave her territory for starters. And to have carried an egg… Unless she hadn't had it yet…" His eyebrows scrunch together in thought. "We can ask. But even if she is a baby from here, it's too late to reintroduce her. She's too attached to you, anyway. No one is going to take her from you."

Something loosens in Charlie's chest and he breathes a soft sigh of relief. "I mean, I don't want her to not know how to do things like a normal dragon. She has to adapt at some point. But I haven't been nursing her back to health for the past week and a half for her to go get killed. I don't know how I'm going to teach her everything she needs to know, though. Like, hunting..."

"Ah, we'll figure it out as we go," Spencer replies airily, waving his hand as if shooing an annoying fly. "You'll have a number of people lining up to help you figure it out. No one's befriended a dragon before." He reaches up and pats Winks' head. "You need some proper sleep right now. So let's head up and I'll show you to your room." They tromp up the stairs, Velșă glancing stealthily back at Spencer now and again. "Second door on the right."

Charlie pushes open the door and stares around. It's not very large, but it's all his. There's a full-sized bed, a bedside table, a dresser, and a bookshelf. He wanders in and sits on the bed, smiling. "Thank you," he says to Spencer who shrugs it off before leaving the room. A moment later, Winks scrambles into the room and climbs into Charlie's shirt pocket.

* * *

The following weeks seem to fly by. He had received a letter from Bill, telling him that he'd taken a job in Egypt for Gringotts, and thanked him for his courage to inspire him to do something different. A week ago, his mother had sent him an owl to ask how he's doing and he had answered with some money and an invitation for her and his father to come visit over the Christmas holidays.

Spencer had not been lying when he'd said that there would practically be a line to help him figure out how to teach Velșă how to be a proper dragon. But Charlie is most impressed by Spencer, Elena, and Alexandru, who have become very good friends. Together, they came up with the idea to fly on their broomsticks to help teach Velșă to fly, and practice nosedives at sheep to teach her to hunt. At the same time, Velșă has been growing at an alarming rate and can no longer sleep inside Charlie's room - or even the house, which has made her rather morose. Though Winks is thrilled to have the whole of Charlie's shoulders back to himself, Charlie does miss having Velșă draped over him as well. He has not succeeded in getting her to mingle with other dragons. Because of how much time she spent with him, she no longer smells wild to the other dragons and they sometimes try to lash out when she follows him to the field.

The field is an interesting place. Miles upon miles of wild terrain, magical barriers enclosing a few dragons in different sections. There are sections for different breeds, and sections within that for families or Prides. Closer to the village is a center for new dragons to be registered. The dragons here are re-homed in a section based on breed and temperament. Charlie and Alexandru are working there most often, treating wounded dragons and rehoming them. It's on one of these days that Elena interrupts them with a frazzled air about her and urgency in her voice, making her accent even harder to understand. "We just got a dragon egg. The mother was killed in Mongolia. It's only a day old."

Alarmed, Charlie and Alexandru scramble after her. They go toward the entrance of the woods, where a quaking little wisp of a witch stood, clutching a giant egg. The egg is deep blue with light blue swirls over it, and it glitters in the little bit of light shining through the treetops. She says something in rapid-fire Mongolian, shakily extending the egg. "A Swedish Short-Snout," Charlie says in awe, taking the egg. It's cool, making his heart leap. "I need a fire." He looks around wildly and Alexandru races to grab some wood before pointing his wand at the pile and muttering, " _Incendio_." It bursts into flames and Charlie, still wearing his dragon hide gloves from working with a Hebridean, settles the egg into its center. It can't stay, he knows that. It's not a Norwegian Ridgeback. But it does need to be warmer than it is. "Do we have any Swedish here?" he asks, looking up at Alexandru and Elena.

Alexandru shakes his head. "No. For the most part, we don't have the proper climate for it, so we keep having to send any we receive to the Swedish sanctuary."

Charlie thinks hard, trying to remember everything he can about Swedish Short-Snouts. Only in their first few days as an egg do they need to stay hot, and then they need warmth until they hatch. "We can't send it now... It'll freeze..." His brain reels and he scrunches his nose in thought. "What about a surrogate?"

Elena snorts. "A surrogate? That's never been done." There's a twinkle in her eye, though, because she knows Charlie seems to be able to do things that can't be done. "What about Velșă?"

Charlie shakes his head. "She doesn't have the know-how, and her breed is too distant. We'd need something closer..."

"A Chinese Fireball," Alexandru says slowly. "They're internal systems are similar, and the Fireball should be able to help regulate its temperature better than we can." Here, he hesitates. "But, Charlie, this is a ridiculously insane idea. You know this, don't you?"

Charlie rocks back on his heels, still crouched down by the fire. "It's worth a shot. It's better to give this guy a chance than to tick it off as already dead. I mean, if we can. Are there any Fireballs who have eggs or are going to have eggs soon?"

Elena makes a face. "One, up in the high regions of the Fireball section. She's just about ready to lay..." Charlie stares at her, waiting for the rest. "She's just so temperamental! And now that she's about to have eggs, she's even worse."

Charlie sets his jaw, feeling less detoured and more determined. "I'll try. It's my idea, so I should try."

"Alone?" Alexandru asks skeptically. "No way. That's mad."

"It's mad that you would consider sending more than just me!" Charlie argues, rather desperately. "One wizard in her territory is more than enough. She'll be angry as it is."

"Well, you're not going up there alone," Alexandru says firmly, crossing his arms. "If something happens, someone should be nearby if you need help."

Charlie can't argue that. He nods and points his wand at the egg, muttering, " _Accio egg_." The egg flies from the fire and into Charlie's waiting hands.

* * *

Charlie wastes no time in starting on his plan. He, Elena, and Alexandru all Apparate to the Chinese Fireball section immediately and hover just outside the magical barrier of the area Elana had been talking about. Apparently aware of the visitors, two deep and ground-trembling growls greet them. Since the Fireballs are the most tolerant about sharing territory with their own breed, they are able to keep two to three dragons at a time in one area. In this one, there is the soon-to-be-mother and an older male dragon that normally keeps to himself. Both sound a bit closer than anyone would rather them be. But the egg is cooling again and Charlie's determination is growing. Quietly, as silently as possible, he steps into the enclosure. There's a crash about 100 or so feet in front of him, accompanied by another deep growl.

He doesn't move right away. His heart hammering in his chest, he simply waits. The dragon seems in no hurry to come out of hiding, which doesn't bode well for him. He's fairly certain that he's dealing with the female, but he has to be sure. He decides to see if he can't circle a little closer and quietly starts moving to his left, inching his way toward the trees. There's a louder growl, and suddenly, with a deafening crash, the dragon's head is visible merely 20 feet from him. With felled trees the only obstacle between him and the dragon's mouth, Charlie feels a lot more exposed and not as eager to approach. The dragon eyes him warily, lingers on the rapidly cooling egg in his arms. Charlie is barely breathing, watching as the dragon shifts slightly. Trees creak around it. He knows for certain now that it's the female - the male would never be this close and her scales are still dazzling scarlet, not faded with age. He would have thought that she would be higher, more concealed, and less willing to be so near not only humans, but other dragons, especially so close to laying.

Charlie's breathing is shallow and quiet, as close as he can make it to not breathing. He's barely blinking. Smoke is slowly curling out of the Fireball's nostrils as she continues to stare him down. His arms wrap instinctively around the egg, trying to convey some of his body heat into it. The longer he holds onto it, though, the more it will smell like him and the less likely it will be that the Fireball will accept it. Slowly, he inches toward his right and the dragon's eye follows him, smoke now _billowing_ from her nostrils. Charlie is, however, a patient man. For every small step towards her he makes, he waits twice as long. He spends hours in there, tempting fate. But as the sun sets, he is forced to abandon his efforts. Going in blind is a death sentence. With the egg still cradled in his arms, he Apparates back to his home and settles the egg as near the fire as he dares.

Later that evening, as he's quietly eating, Spencer barges inside, obviously quite furious. "You're absolutely _crazy_!" he shouts, standing in front of Charlie, who looks up at him in surprise. "Don't do it! Don't even keep attempting!"

As it dawns on him what his roommate is yelling at him for, Charlie finds himself glaring at the brunet. "What else am I supposed to do? Let it freeze?"

"Yes!" Spencer cries passionately. Charlie stands, blood boiling. "Look, Charlie, I... I don't want to see what happens to you if this doesn't work..."

"What... I'm not going to let it die without trying to save it, Spencer," Charlie argues loudly. Winks is hiding in his shirt pocket, nose barely poking out. "It deserves a chance."

Spencer purses his lips stubbornly. "If it doesn't work, you're going to be devastated. And all I'll have to say is, 'I told you so'. It'll kill you, Charlie." And before anything else can be said, he's gone and his bedroom door is shut firmly behind him.

* * *

Charlie spends the next two days with the Fireball. A few other people have heard about the idea and have been coming and going to watch progress. On the third day, Charlie finally gets his chance. The mother dragon is sleeping when he arrives, and he can just barely see the fiery red of her eggs by her belly. He thinks to Apparate, but too much sound could wake her. So he walks. Quite the crowd is outside the Fireball's territory, watching his progress. Thirty minutes pass before he's near enough to sneak the egg close to her. He rests the egg as close as he dares to her belly. It's still warm from the fire it had been in before arriving, and he hopes that she will automatically pull it in when she wakes some.

It's as he's headed back toward the exit that he realizes his mistake. From above, a horrible shriek is heard. Looking up, the male dragon nosedives at him, blowing flames from his nostrils. Charlie throws up a shielding charm, but with little time to react, it's not near as strong or wide as necessary. Flames lick at his left arm and he cries out in anguish. Behind him, the noise has obviously woken the female, and through his haze of pain, he hears her growl loudly. He Apparates out of the bubble, just as a jet of flames from two directions meet exactly where he had been standing just moments before.

Charlie sways on the spot, but someone grabs his right elbow and Apparates them away to the hospital. He wakes to darkness, and muffled voices. Looking around, he knows he's still in the hospital. His arm is heavily bandaged. Elena and Alexandru are talking in heated tones in whispered Romanian just outside of his bed curtains. He lays there, listening to their hushed conversation until he falls back asleep.

* * *

" _Charles Weasley_!" his mother shouts shrilly upon arrival by floo two days later. His arm is still bandaged and slung, but he's out of the hospital. "What is _that_?"

She points to his arm and he glances down at it nonchalantly. "What? This? Oh, it's nothing bad..."

Snickering as he enters the room to see what all the commotion is about, Spencer says, "Only a burn from a Chinese Fireball's flames."

Charlie glares at him over his shoulder as his mother goes into a furious tirade about how she knew this job was just too dangerous and "what if you'd been killed!?" When the Healer at the hospital had told him that, even with all her potions and ointments and remedies, he would still have roughly a week of healing and a lifetime of scarring, he knew his mother would explode. This is, after all, precisely the sort of thing she had been afraid would happen.

"Mum, I was wearing all my protective gear and taking as many precautions as I possibly could," Charlie finally interrupts when she tries to blame him for being unsafe. "The dragon just got a weak spot. I'll be fine." His mother doesn't look remotely convinced, but his father takes the opportunity to change the subject.

* * *

Christmas comes and goes far too quickly for Charlie's liking. Being with his parents has shown him how much he's missed them. During the course of their stay, he introduces them to his friends - including Velșă. (His mum goes into another fiery tirade that has his ears turning pink as several people stop to listen to the fuss being made.) He walks them through the camp, and the town nearby. His father is quite content about everything and spends some time talking with Spencer about America and even sneaks in the topic of Muggle invention, to which Spencer seems entirely too amused by. Overall, Charlie feels that the week and a half with his parents goes by much too quickly and they soon find themselves sitting around the table for their final dinner together.

"Charlie," Mrs Weasley starts and he knows the tone so well, his ears turn red before she's even done speaking. "Are you seeing anyone? What about that Elena girl?"

Spencer shoves a huge spoonful of mashed turnips into his mouth to keep from laughing as he watches Charlie flounder. "No, Mum. No... I... We're only friends! What... Why do you gotta go and... _No_ ," the redhead splutters, his blush seeping up his neck. He's only ever had to derail his mother about girls twice before, and he was just as awkward then as he is now.

"There's nothing wrong if you are," Mrs Weasley reassures her son kindly. "She seems like a nice girl..."

Charlie groans. "We're _friends_! That's all there is and ever will be!"

Mrs Weasley tuts disapprovingly. "Things can change you know. I just... Well, I'd like to see grandkids before you get blown to smithereens by dragon fire!"

Charlie is as red as his hair and Spencer chokes out some excuse about needing more water before scrambling into the kitchen, leaving his glass behind. "Mum! That is...! It hasn't even been a _year_! This was just a close call!" He gestures with his uninjured hand to his now newly unbandaged and still somewhat raw one. "I knew what I was doing! Just... Just... Calm down about it..."

Mr Weasley decides to put in his two cents, though Charlie isn't thrilled to find that it's not in has defence. "It _was_ a close call, nonetheless, Charlie. I think we're both just hoping you'll take a serious look at your future from this point on."

Charlie frowns, picking at his food mindlessly with his fork. "I want to keep doing this. It's more fulfilling than I ever imagined."

* * *

Two days after his parents leave, and Charlie feels exactly the opposite about his job. He's devastated. Sitting in the tall grasses between the village and the Reserve, he sits with Velșă curled around him. Her head is on his lap, eye staring up at him quizzically. Winks is draped around his neck, making soft noise of comfort in his ear. His eyes are red and tired, and he has a small headache that's threatening to grow stronger with each sniffle. The light on the horizon is fading. He's been out here for hours. Footsteps approach him cautiously, but he doesn't bother looking up. Elena steps in front of him, settling down with her legs crossed. "Charlie..." she starts gently and his eyes well up again.

He shakes his head, pressing the heel of his hand to one of his eyes. "Don't. Spencer was right in the beginning - I should have let the egg freeze."

"Don't talk like that," Elena says, resting a hand on his arm. "You _tried_. No one else would have bothered."

"Because she wouldn't have suffered!" Charlie yells in agony. "She wouldn't have even _known_ she was dying! And then I had to step in and look what happened!" A team had headed to the Chinese Fireball in the middle of the night after being alerted to a rather huge disruption. Charlie had been called quickly after, and he couldn't get the image of the mangled form of the tiny Swedish Short-Snout out of his head. It's his fault the hatchling died. He should have guessed that the Fireball wouldn't accept it as her own. "I should have listened..." His heart hurts as bad as his head. Tears are streaming again.

Elena makes a slightly strangled sound as she throws her arms awkwardly around Charlie's neck, Velșă refusing to move. " _It's not your fault_! We all thought it would work! She gave signs of accepting her and everything. Don't blame yourself, Charlie. I'm _so_ sorry it didn't work."

He sets one hand on her back, but can't bring himself to answer. Her words mean nothing to him; he doesn't believe any of them, though he knows she means well. They're silent for several minutes as he continues to cry. The sun sinks behind the horizon and deep blue blankets the sky. Finally, Elena manages to convince Charlie to go home. Spencer is in the living room, sitting on the couch. Neither men say anything, but Spencer gives Charlie a mournful look and the redhead sits beside him. The night passes slowly in silence, thick with emotion. Spencer never does tells him "I told you so", and Charlie feels he never will.

* * *

It's a month before Charlie finally regains any semblance of himself again. He's assigned to a territory as far away from the Chinese Fireball as possible, and he thinks it's for the best because he's still very angry with himself. He doesn't try to be innovative, and does what he's told. He spends late afternoon with Velșă and Winks; sometimes Elena or Spencer will join them.

It's somewhere around March when he receives a letter that gets him out of his mood. "Alexandru!" Charlie shouts, running into the woods where the wizard is discussing a new arrival with another witch. Alexandru looks over at him in surprise as Charlie jumps a felled tree. " _Alexandru_! You'll _never_ believe the letter my brother sent me! I have the reply, but I decided you should know before I sent it off. It's incredible!"

Alexandru looks at him with raised brows and an increasing feeling of impatience rising in him. "Well, get on with it. What's so incredible?"

" _A Norwegian Ridgeback_!" Charlie exclaims, slightly breathless. "He has one! Well, not him, a good friend. And they can't keep it, obviously. He needs it gone as soon as possible. _We_ can take it! Get it out of there, and we'll have a Ridgeback!"

Alexandru stares blankly at him. He feels at a loss for words for a moment. "Charlie... Which brother?"

"The youngest," Charlie answers distractedly, reading over the letter again. "Just started at Hogwarts."

"Do you have a plan to get that dragon out of there?" Alexandru asks skeptically. "I mean, we can take it... But... How big is it? How do you expect to smuggle a dragon off Hogwarts grounds? And, while we're thinking on that line, how are we going to smuggle people _in_?"

Charlie lifts his eyes from the paper to stare at Alexandru. "He's not very big. He's not even a year. If we could get a meeting point set up, I have friends who can go get the dragon off Hogwarts' grounds this weekend."

For a moment, Alexandru flounders. "Who the _hell_ do you know that's willing to drop everything and go smuggle a _dragon_ out of the country with only two days notice!?" he finally shouts and the witch behind him, momentarily forgotten, nods emphatically.

"Oh, Tonks, for one," Charlie answers with a serene smile.

* * *

The day before the Ridgeback is supposed to arrive, Elena and Charlie are walking through town together. Charlie has taken it upon himself to replenish his and Spencer's food supply, and Elena is looking for a new dragon hide jacket to replace the one that is fading out. The day is warm and Charlie feels the lightest he has in months. The two stop at a local cafe to get lunch. Their conversation flows easily enough, but Charlie feels like something is off. Finally, he asks, "Elena, is everything alright?"

Elena looks up from her food at him, her eyes wide. "Of course." She hesitates, tucking some hair behind her ear. "It's just... I wanted to ask you something..."

Charlie smiles brightly. "Ask away. I'm an open book."

She peers at him and smiles slightly. "That's true enough..." She takes a deep breath and prattles on. "I wanted to know how you feel about me. Because, see, I've found myself... Well... Rather _smitten_... With you..." Her face is a deep scarlet as she looks up at him through eyelashes, her head turned down some.

Charlie feels his jaw go slack. He's managed to get away with no confrontations for _years_. He feels bad about the one he finds himself in now. Elena isn't one to take an attempt at beating around the bush as an answer. He runs a hand through his hair nervously. "Well... I can't say that I feel the same..." The hurt on her face makes Charlie feel guilty and he tries to come up with something else to say to help. "It's nothing personal, I promise."

She narrows her eyes at him, lifting her chin indignantly. " _Obviously_." There's a biting edge to her voice.

"No, no," Charlie says quickly, reaching out but stopping short at the venomous look she's giving him. "I mean to say, well, that... I tend to be more interested in dragons than other humans. At least, that's the general rule..."

She blinks slowly, her glare becoming quizzical. "You don't like people?"

Charlie shrugs. "I like you, and Alexandru and Spencer. As friends. But I've never liked anyone as anything more. _Ever_." Happy that she's no longer trying to kill him with her eyes, he continues on. "While friends in school kept getting excited about other people, I just kept getting more passionate about animals and dragons."

Slowly, Elena's expression changes. "You feel nothing romantic towards me?"

"No, and I'm _very_ sorry for that," Charlie answers honestly. "You are very lovely."

"And you've never had a romantic relationship?" Elena clarifies slowly. Charlie shakes his head furiously. "Do you ever want one?"

Charlie shrugs halfheartedly. "Sometimes I think about it... It would make my mum happy. I just... I just don't see anyone changing my mind. It doesn't bother me to think that I may never marry. It bothers me most that my mum will be disappointed..."

Elena's quiet for a few moments, soaking in this information and trying to decide how she feels. "I think your mother would be happy that you're happy."

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Charlie asks quietly. "I don't know how deep you feel for me, but I would still like to stay friends, if you can. I like having you around..."

"I think we'd better get through this day, and I'll revisit that whole thing..." Elena says decidedly. She feels like there's a lot to take in. Charlie, for his part, feels his stomach curdle and can't eat much after that.

* * *

Charlie is awake before the sun, excited beyond belief. Today, the Ridgeback would be arriving. Tonks and a couple of her friends had agreed earlier in the week, and would be going to get the dragon that night. His time zone is two hours ahead of the UK, but there's still too much time left before the dragon is supposed to arrive. He tosses and turns until Winks, curled on the pillow beside his head, squawks in irritation and he hauls himself from his bed. After getting dressed and grabbing a quick bite, he takes Winks and Velșă out to the fields and settles down to watch the sun rise. Velșă has a bad habit now of nudging at him until he moves into a position where she can rest her head on his lap, since she can no longer curl up on his lap or drape around his shoulders. He doesn't mind - at least she doesn't sulk about her size now. Her head is huge and heavy as it rests on his legs and he pats it absentmindedly.

If anyone told him five years ago that one of his good friends would be a dragon, he would have laughed openly at them. Now, he can't imagine his life without her. He can't imagine his life without the Sanctuary, if he's honest. The loss of the little Short-Snout had discouraged him at first, but now he's finding that the experience, combined with the idea that he's taking on a rare dragon, gives him a fire that motivates him to keep going. He didn't give up a cushy job at the Ministry for just anything - he gave it up because this is _home_ ; _this_ is his passion. He lays back as the sun makes it to just over the horizon and Velșă peers up at him. Winks scuttles along her side and sits on the top of her head. It's a game he plays with her, and she's learned not to mind it. Charlie thinks it's because she knows how much he cares about Winks. "You guys are great," he mumbles, watching them. Velșă makes an affectionate sound that Charlie can feel through his whole body.

Spencer finds him a while later, casually saying, "Thought I might find you here. Alexandru wants you to work with Timo on the territory barrier for the Ridgeback. I'll show you where it'll be." With a bit of effort, Charlie untangles himself from Velșă and follows Spencer. Velșă takes to the skies while Winks scampers up his pants leg, up his shirt and wraps himself securely around the back of his neck. "So you like dragons more than people, huh?" Spencer asks, a hint of a laugh in his voice. Charlie grumbles something incoherent under his breath. _Of course_ Elena talked to him. "Good to know you have your priorities straight."

"Look, it's always been like that," Charlie starts defensively.

Spencer stops abruptly, smiling goofily. "Ya know, it's not really anyone's business who you like or don't like. Nobody's asked me, and I'm not about to tell. It's your life, your feelings, your body. And if people don't get that, then I'd say they're not really worth the time. Elena will come around. She's just still shocked at your answer. It's not what a girl is used to hearing, ya know?"

Charlie grimaces. "I've never had to say it aloud... But she does like to have things bluntly said..." Spencer chuckles in agreement. "So you don't like people or...?"

"You must not have heard me," Spencer says brightly as he keeps walking. "I'm not about to tell."

* * *

The plan goes off without a hitch. Tonks and her friends fly to Hogwarts on their brooms and pick up the small, feisty dragon and take him to the drop point, a Portkey. Together with a small team of witches and wizards, including his friends from the UK, Charlie gets the Ridgeback into his territory. As soon as he's free, the dragon takes off into the trees. Cheering as they step out of the boundary, Tonks gives Charlie a huge hug. "Oh, that was fun!" she exclaims in a high voice.

Charlie grins, feeling a rush of excitement at what they just accomplished. "How was Ron? Did you see him?"

Tonks shakes his head. "It was his two friends, Hermione and Harry. They seemed alright. Thanks for giving me something fun to do, Charlie. Just like school!"

Charlie laughs. "Thanks for being willing! Don't fall off your broom going home!" Tonks waves, sticking her tongue out at him as she and her friends use the Portkey to get back to the UK. He turns back to the Ridgeback's territory, feeling satisfied and passionate again. He can do this. This is where he's supposed to be. Elena wanders over, saying nothing. But she smiles up at him and he grins broadly in return.

What he's chosen isn't easy, sure. He is _extremely_ glad that he didn't take a desk job, though. Winks pokes his head out of Charlie's shirt pocket and makes a curious little sound, looking around. Charlie is meant to be with dragons, and a few understanding friends. He pats Winks' head with his pointer finger.

He's not sure what other hardships await him, but he's starting to feel like he might be able to handle everything thrown at him. Never mind how excited he is when Dumbledore sends him a letter two years later asking if he would like to contribute to the Triwizard Tournament. Never mind when he's asked by Dumbledore two years _after_ that to help recruit other witches and wizards to the Order of the Phoenix. Never mind the war he has to endure. He has family here in Romania to help him through his hardships. And dragons. Dragons are always great.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So I wrote this for a friend who commissioned me (psst, commissions are still open; just PM me) and I got a bit carried away. Charlie now has a very special place in my heart. For my first fanfiction in this fandom, I feel like I did a pretty decent job and am proud of this story.**_ ** _(Also, the only reason I split it is because I felt like it was a little too long to be a oneshot. I'd have been a little daunted to see this whole thing on one page!)_**

 _ **I hope you enjoyed this adventure as much as I did. Please leave a comment if you feel so inclined!**_


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